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H. H. SESSIONS. TOP BUFFER FORFREIGHT (mas. No. 479,025. Patented July19, 1892.

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TOPBUFPER FOR FREIGHT CARS. No. 479,025. Patented July 19, 1892.

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HENRY HOWARD SESSIONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PULL- MANSPALACE CAR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TOP BUFFER FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 479,025, dated July 19,1892.

Application filed July 6, 1891. Serial N0. 398,471. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HOWARD SES- SIONS, of Chicago, Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Top Buffers forFreight-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to buffers for the tops of freight-cars; and itsobject is to provide the ends of freight-oars at or near their top withbuffers comprising horizontally-disposed chafing-plates held in contactby outwardlyforcing spring-pressure, the plates being so mounted as tobe capable of a slight rocking movement While exerting a normal tendencyto restrain vibration of the tops of the cars.

In the preferred form of my invention I mount horizontally-arrangedchafing-plates pivotally upon sliding rods, which rods project throughsuitable ways in the ends of the car-frame, their inner ends beingshackled to the top of the car. A yoke havingits ends loosely connectedso as to slide and rock upon these side rods has its front end pivotallyconnected to a central rod preferably inside the end of the car, whichrod projects forward through the car end, its outer end being providedwith a cap or other means for holding one end of a spring interposedbetween the end of the car and the chafing-plates. As thus constructed,the chafing-plateis capable of a slight rocking movement around the endof the spring and the tendency of the latter is to oppose this rockingand to return the parts to a position parallel with the sides of thecar. The chafing-plates being thus held in constant contact tend toreduce the violence of the rocking movement or unsteadiness of the topof the car,'and thus prevent injury to the contents of the car, as wellas undue racking strain of the car itself. These chafing-plates alsofurnish a support for footplates, which can be used by persons inpassing from the top of one car to another.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation twofreight-cars whose adjoining ends are provided with my improved elevatedbuifer, part of the figure being in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a planView of the device making up my elevated buffer, the end wall of the caranda part of the chafing-plate being in section. Fig. 3 is acrosssection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of thearrow.

In the drawings, A B represent freight-cars.

C represents the chafing-plates, which in the preferred construction arechannel-bars with their openings presenting toward the end of the carwith which they are connected.

D represents foot-plates, which are bolted to the upper flanges of thesechafing-plates and provide a passage-way for trainmen between the endsof the cars. The chafing-plates may be of any length desired; but Iusually make them about two and one-half feet in length.

E represents rods, which are pivotally connected to the chafing-plate onopposite sides of its middle. As shown in the drawings, these rods haveT-heads e, and I employ straps F for shackling them to thechafingplates. These rods pass through suitable openings in the endwalls of the cars, and their rear ends are shackled to the top of thecar by means of the plate Gand are prevented from pulling out by meansof keys or other appropriate fastenings.

Bolted to the ends of the cars are the castings H, which are aperturedto provide guides for the rods E, and which have a centralspring-pocket, within which is seated a coiled 8o spring I. The outerend of this spring is confined by the cap j of a tie-rod J, and therear. end of said rod projects through the end of the car and is pivotedto a yoke K, whose ends are forked to embrace the rods E. Vash- 8 5 ersE are secured on the rods E, said washers being preferably rounded ontheir sides, against which the ends of'theyoke impinge, so as to permitthe latter to rock freely thereon. To prevent the yoke from working off0 the rods while permitting it to slide freely thereon, I employ thecasting L, supported from the roof of the car an d having a slotted wayZ,in which a lug 7t) of the yoke K travels.

When two cars provided with myimprovements are coupled together in atrain, the chafing-plates will be forced into contact by means of thespring, the action of which is indirectthat is, the outward pressure onthe tie-rod tends to draw the yoke inward, and said yoke engaging thewashers of the rods E draws them out, so as to hold the chafingplates incontact. The swaying or oscillation of the cars is thus directlyprevented by the friction between the surfaces of these chafing-plates;but in order to permit the ears to pass around curves the rods carryingthe chafing-plates are made to slide. Thus in rounding curves one ofsaid rods will be forced back, while the other will be shoved out. Inthis movement the yoke is rocked, and as the tie-rod is connected withthe forward end of the yoke its rear end will also be thrown out ofline, and to permit this the aperture through which said rod passes iselongated, as indicated by the dotted lines 0c 03 of Fig. 2. Thetendency of the spring is to draw the parts into line again-that is tosay, it tends to straighten the rod to restore the parallelism betweenthe contacting surfaces of the chafing-plates and the ends of the car.

The strength of the parts, and particularly that of the spring, will beproportioned, of course, to the weight of the cars, the loads which theyare to carry, and the radius of the curves over which theyare to pass;but I prefer to use a springof such strength as to minimize, if notentirely control, the rocking or swaying movement of the tops of thecars while traveling in a straight line, but permitting thechafing-plates to assume an angular position with reference to the endsof the ears while rounding curves.

In the shipment of live stock the swaying often tends to injure theanimals and various expedients have been resorted tosuch as suspendingthe animal from the roof of the car and the 1iketo avoid these evileffects.

My invention is designed to so reduce the swaying or lateral movement ofthe cars as to adapt them for the transportation of live stock withoutinjury. Of course the structural details may be considerably varied.Other forms of springs might be employed and the rods which carry thechafing-plates need not project inside the car, and the yoke may also belocated exterior to the car, proper provision being made for supportingthe parts. I prefer, however, to employ one wall of the car as thefoundation on which to mount the structure, and by projecting the innerends of the side rods through the end wall and locating the yoke insidethe car and supporting them from the car-roof a much strongerconstruction isprovided without sacrificing otherwise available spacewithin the car.

I claim- 1. In combination with the end of a car, a chafing-platepivotally connected to rods having a sliding support and capable ofmovement in the direction of the length of the car, a yoke or equivalentcoupling having a hearing upon said rods, an outwardly -forcing springinterposed between the chafing-plate and the end of the car, and atie-rod connecting the outer end of the spring with the yoke,substantially as described.

2. In combination with a car, a chafing-plate mounted toward the topthereof upon rods pivotallyconnected thereto and having a slidingsupport in the end Wall of the car, a yoke adapted to bear at its endsupon each of said rods, a tie-rod pivotally connected to said yoke, anda spring connected at one end to the rod and adapted to exert an outwardpull thereon, substantially as described.

3. In combination with an end of a car, a casting or equivalentframe-piece secured therewith near the top of the car and havingapertures to form ways, and a spring-pocket, a spring seated in saidpocket, rods mounted to slide in said ways, and a chafing-platepivotally connected to the forward end of said rods, a yoke having abearing on said rods, and a tie-rod connecting the spring and the yokeand passing through an elongated aperture, whereby said yoke is adaptedto permit the chafing-plate to assume an angular position with referenceto the end wall of the car, substantially as described.

4:. In combination with an end of a car apertured for the passage ofrods therethrough, said rods passing through said apertures andsupported from the car-roof, a chafing-plate pivotally connected to saidrods at their outer ends, shoulders upon said rods, and a yoke havingits ends embracing said rods, so as to slide thereon and adapted to rockover said shoulders, a guide-plate having a slot therein and a lug 011the yoke entering said slot, a spring interposed between the end of thecar and the chafing-plate, and a tie-rod bearing upon the outer end ofthe spring and projecting through the axis thereof and pivotallyconnected to the yoke, substantially as described.

HENRY HOWARD SESSIONS. Witnesses:

E. O. TOURTELOT, E. R. CURTISS.

